Gaming devices currently exist with bonus rounds in which a player has one or more opportunities to choose masked bonus awards from a group of masked awards displayed to the player. When the player chooses a masked award from the group, the game removes the mask and either awards the player with a bonus value or terminates the bonus round with a bonus terminator. The outcome depends upon whether the player selects an award or a terminator.
In the above game, the controller of the gaming device randomly places a predetermined number of masked awards and terminators in the pattern at the beginning of the bonus round and maintains the positioning until the bonus round terminates. When the player selects a masked award, the player receives the value of the award, and the game typically displays a message that the player may continue and enables the player a to select another masked award. The player then selects another masked award, and the process continues until the player selects a masked terminator. European Patent Application No. EP 0 945 837 A2 filed on Mar. 18, 1999 and assigned on its face to WMS Gaming, Inc. discloses a bonus round of this type.
Gaming machines also currently exist with bonus rounds in which the game determines the player's award. PCT Application No. PCT/AU97/00121 entitled, Slot Machine Game with Roaming Wild Card, having a publication date of Sep. 4, 1997, discloses an example. In this application, a slot machine having a video display contains a plurality of rotatable reels with game symbols. When the player receives a triggering symbol or combination, the game produces a bonus symbol. The bonus symbol moves from game symbol to game symbol temporarily changing the game symbol to a bonus symbol. If the change results in a winning combination, the player receives an award.
Known gaming machines also provide bonus rounds in which the game selects symbols that determine the player's award, and the game maintains a minimum winning percentage, whereby the game iteratively and randomly selects symbols producing an award until selecting a losing combination of symbols. European Patent Application No. EP 0 874 337 A1 filed on Mar. 27, 1998 and assigned on its face to WMS Gaming, Inc. discloses a bonus scheme of this type.
The first “go-until” or “do-until” round can end quickly, with no award generation, if the player initially selects a bonus round terminator. In the second bonus round, the game generates awards based upon symbol combinations. If no symbol combination produced in the bonus round yields an award, the player can receive nothing. The third bonus round is a “go-until” or “do-until” round in which the game, rather than the player, selects until selecting a losing combination of symbols. In the second and third games, the level of player interaction is limited to observing events unfold as the game selects or generates the symbols without player input.
In all three bonus games, the player can win nothing from the bonus round. To avoid a situation wherein the bonus game too often yields no awards, the game must set a high winning percentage. If so, then to avoid consistently paying extraordinary awards, a bonus round must be a rare event or award relatively nominal award amounts.
It should be appreciated that certain known bonus schemes limit the flexibility of gaming device manufacturers. In certain bonus rounds, the manufacturer develops a bonus game theme that itself will provide excitement and enjoyment to a player. In these instances, the manufacturer likely desires the bonus round to occur relatively frequently. The manufacturer may wish the normal operation of the bonus round employing the theme to generate an award for the player, rather than a secondary consolation prize. The manufacturer also likely wishes to generate small, medium and large awards without overpaying and making the gaming device unprofitable.